Filter.



No. 632ml.

LND Model.)

Patentod Aug. 29, i899. F'. BMMARIUS.

F.}LTER.

.Applicat'xan led Apr. 1, 1899.)

UNITED STATES EEICE.

PATENT FREDERICK EoMMARI'IIs, CE vNEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, AssIcNoR 'ro FREDERICK HENRY EoMMARIUs, CE SAME PLACE.

F l LT E R.

srEcfEicATIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 632,091, dated August 29, 1999.

Application filed April 1, 1899. Serial No. 711,398. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK BoMMARIUs, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Orleans, parish of Orleans, State of Louisiana, have invented certain new' and useful Improvements in Filters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to filters; andithas for its object to provide a filter of improved construction in which impure water may be thoroughly filtered and the filtering medium readily cleansed from time to timeand the foreign substances and impurities precipitated and discharged from the filter.

A further object of the invention is to improve and simplify the construction and render more efficient the operation of the class of filters referred to.

To theseends my invention consists in the features and in the construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims following the description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1 is a view in vertical section of my improved filtering apparatus. Fig. 2 is a de tail plan view of the perforated diaphragm arranged in the bottom portion of the iltercasing. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the stirrer-arm. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of a modification.

Referring to the drawings, the n u meral 1 indicates the filter-casing, preferably comprising a cylindrical sheet-metal vessel fianged at its opposite ends and having attached thereto the top and bottom heads 2 and 3. A flanged head or diaphragm is disposed transversely in the casing 1 at a suitable distance above the bottom-head 3 and is secured in place', preferably, byriveting its flanged head to the wall of the casing and calking or otherwise suitably packing it to prevent the passage of filtering material about its edge. As shown most clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the diaphragm A is provided with a number of perforations 5, and in each of said perforations is fitted one end of a short tube 6, which is closed at its opposite end, and intermediate its ends is provided with a number of narrow through the stuflingbox 10 and stepped at its lower end in the bearing 11 is a shaft 12, provided at its upper outer end with a handwheel 13. The upper and lower portions of the shaft 12 are round, as clearly indicated, to form an easy bearing for the shaft in the stuffing-box 10 and bearing-plates 9, and between said round portions is preferably square or angular in cross-section. Fixed on the shaft 12 immediately above the upper ends of the slitted tubes 6 is a perforated stirrer-arm formed in two half-sections 14E, the adjacent ends of the sections being flanged and provided with V-shaped recesses, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3. The anged and recessed ends of the two sections of the stirrer-arm are bolted about the squared portion of the shaft 12, thus tightly xing said arm on the shaft in an obvious manner.

The numeral 15 indicates awater-main and 16 a service-pipe,hydrant, or the like connected therewith. Leading from the pipe 16 is a water-feed pipe 17, connected at its opposite end to a branch pipe 18 19, one branch 18 of which enters the upper portion of the filter-casing and the other branch 19 is connected with the lower portion of the said cas# ing by a pipe connection 20. Valves 21 and 22 are respectively arranged in the branches 18 and 19, and a waste-pipe 23 is connected to the upperend of the branch 18 and is provided with a valve 24. A four-way coupling 25 connects the branch 19 to the connectingpipe 20, and also connects said pipes with an outlet or draw-off pipe 26 and a waste-pipe 27, respectively provided with valves 2S and 29.

Supported on the feed-pipe 17 is a chemical-receiving vessel 30, comprising a vertical cylindrical closed vessel provided at its bottoni with a conical valve-seat 31, that is in com; munication with the feed-pipe 17, as shown. Through a gland 32, formed in the top of the vessel 30, is screwed a threaded needle-valve stem 33, that is adapted to seat in the valve seat 31. A small by-pass pipe 34 leads from the upper end of the vessel 30 to the watersupply pipe and is provided with a valve 35, while in the feed-pipe 17 at a point between the points at which the chemical-receiving vessel is connected thereto is arranged a valve 36.

In practice coarse filtering material-such as gravel, for eXample-will be first placed in the casing over the diaphragm et and slitted tubes 6, and this will be surmounted by finer filtering materialas sand, for exampleto a suitable height. A quantity of any chemical material suitable for purifying the water and precipitating the impurities-such as alum, for exampleis placed in the vessel 30, and for this purpose I preferably form an opening in the top of the vessel normallykept closed by a cap or cover 37.

Constructed as above described the operation of my apparatus is as follows: To place the filter in position for use in filtering and purifying water, partly open valve 3G, open wide the valves 21 and 28, and finally open the valve 35 and very slightly raise the valve 33. All the other valves should remain closed. Vater--will now pass through the feed-pipe 17, branch pipe 18 into the upper part of the filter, down through the filtering material and slitted tubes into the bottom of the casing, and finally out through the outlet-pipe 26. A portion of the supply, however, passes by way of the small by-pass 34 into the vessel 30 and forces a small quantity of alum into the feed-pipe 17, where it immediately mixes with the feed-water and passes with the latter to the filterfbed, thus purifying the water and precipitating foreign substances.

Then it becomes necessary to wash out the filter, close the valves 21 and 28 and open the valves 22 and 24. The course of the water through the filter will now be reversedthat is to say, it will pass from pipe 17 down branch pipe 19 and by connecting-pipe 2O into the bottom of the filter, thence up through the slitted tubes and filter-bed and out through the waste-pipe 23, washing out and discharging all impurities. During this operation the hand-wheel 13 should be turned, so as to rotate the stirrer-arm 14 and disintegrate and loosen up the filter-bed, whereby the impurities and foreign substances are liberated and permitted to be carried off by the wash of the water. After the filter-bed has been thoroughly washed out and the filter again been placed in condition for filtering the valve 2S should at first be closed and the valve 29 opened and this condition maintained until the water discharged by the waste-pipe is perfectly clear,when the valve 29 should again be closed and the valve 28 opened, restoring the apparatus to its normal position.

In Figs. 4: and 5 of the drawings I have shown a modified construction of parts designed tobe substituted for the diaphragmat and slitted tubes 6, before described. As shown in the said figures of the drawings, two perforated heads 3S and 39 are secured in the lower portion ofV the casing 1, and arranged between said heads is a circular disk 40, of thin sheet brass, provided with a number of narrow slits 41. As before stated, such an arrangement may be substituted for the dia; phragni 4 and tubes 6, the construction and operation of the filter in all other respects re;

imaining the same.

Having described my invention, what I claim is 1. In a filter, the combination with the fil' ter-casing having an inlet and an outlet, of a perforated diaphragm fitted' in the casing, horizontally-slitted tubes each open at its lower end and closed at its upper end, the lower open ends of said tubes being fitted in the perforations in the diaphragm, a filter bed arranged above the diaphragm, a bearing in the diaphragm, a stuffing-box in the upper head of the casing, a step-bearing in the lower head, a vertical shaft passing through said stuffing-box and bearing and stepped in the step-bearing, a perforated stirrer-arm fixed on the shaft above the slitted tubes, and a hand-wheel fixed on the shaft outside the casing, substantially as described. i

2. In a filter, the combination with the fil+ ter-casing having an inlet and outlet, of a diaphragm fitted in the casing and provided with narrow slitted waterpassages, a filter-bed above the diaphragm, a vertical shaft journaled in the Casin g, a hand-wheel fixed on the shaft outside the casing, and a stirrer-arm fixed on the shaft above the diaphragm said stirrer-arm being formed in two half-sections fianged and angularly recessed at their adjacent ends, said fianged ends being bolted upon an angular portion of the shaft, substantially as described.

' 3. The combination with the filter casing and bed, of an inlet and outlet pipe, a water; feed pipe connected with the inlet-pipe and with a pressure-supply pipe, a chemical-containing vessel provided at its bottom with a conical valve-seat communicating with the `water-feed pipe, a contracted and valved' bypass pipe connecting the upper part of said vessel with the water-feed pipe, a threaded needle-valve fitted in a bushing in the top of the chemical-containing vessel and arranged to seat in the conical valve-seat, and a handwheel fixed on the outer end of the needlevalve, substantially as described.

f1. The combination with the filter casing and bed, of a water-feed pipe leading from a pressure-supply pipe, la chemical-containing vessel in valved communication at its bottom with the water-feed pipe, a contracted and valved bypass pipe connecting the upper part of said vessel with the pressure-supply IOO pipe, valved branch pipes leading from the my hand in presence of two subscribing wit water-feed pipe to the opposite ends of the nesses. lter-casing, Valved Waste-pipes leading from each of the branch pipes, and an outlet-pipe FREDERICK BOMMARIUS 5 leading from one of them, substantially as XVitnesses:

described. WV. H. COOK,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set FELIX J. PUIG. 

